Post 9-11 Travesty is Sicko

Now that this year’s anniversary of 9-11 is past, and we have considered our collective sadness and outrage over those events of six years ago….

We must consider now how it is we are honoring those heroes who DID survive — the emergency personnel who jumped into the fray to help their fellow human beings, and who are now suffering themselves. Reggie Cervantes is one of those heroes.

Whether or not you believe Michael Moore’s portrayal of our dysfunctional healthcare system, and having nothing whatsoever to do with his putting Cuba’s system on a pedestal, the very people he talked to, and the very people he transported to Cuba are still suffering!

After I posted previously about Sicko, I was contacted by Reggie, the woman who went to Cuba with Moore. I’ve heard from her twice, as she has told me about her experience there, and the care she received. The question mark is NOT about the care she received in Cuba. The question mark is about the care she CAN’T receive back home in the US.

She has lung disease, and can’t find a pulmonologist to treat her because she has no insurance. She lost her insurance when she could work no longer after getting sick from helping out in New York City in the Fall of 2001.

She also lost a pregnancy soon after. Do we count that lost life among those we lost as a result of the Trade Center tragedy?

As you consider whether you believe we should be stepping up to the plate to help those who are uninsured or under-insured in our country, consider heroes like Reggie Cervantes and the unfortunate and horrible example of our American healthcare system which she represents.